The unveiling of a very special monument will take place this Sunday on Arranmore Island to commemorate the memory of the eight-man crew of the island’s lifeboat who carried out a daring rescue off the coast of Donegal in December 1940.
The SS Stolwijk, a Dutch cargo vessel which was sailing in convoy from Newfoundland to England, suffered damage in a violent storm and ran aground late at night on rocks near Tory Island where ten of its crew lost their lives trying to abandon ship.
Battling raging seas, the Arranmore lifeboat crew set out to rescue the remaining 18 passengers left aboard the Stolwijk.
In a story of daring fit for Hollywood all 18 of the Stolwijk’s remaining passengers were safely brought ashore almost ten hours after the rescue began, with the lifeboat being nearly swamped on its return to shore.
The lifeboat crew were subsequently awarded medals by both the Queen of the Netherlands and the RNLI for their bravery.
To mark the rescue’s 75th anniversary the song “I’ll Go” was written and recorded, the proceeds of which were set aside to build a monument on Arranmore. With further funding from BIM Flags its unveiling will be held next Sunday, 6th August at 4.30pm, on the island at Leabgarrow pier.
Organiser of the event and islander Jerry Early said the retelling of the story after all these years has increased the already deeply held sense of pride islanders have for the lifeboat volunteers of Arranmore.
“The people of Arranmore are always acutely aware of the service our lifeboat volunteers provide for the whole community all year round. Remembering the rescue of the 18 lives of the Stolwijk only stirred up the images and details of what it is to go to sea in such dangerous and harrowing conditions to save the lives of strangers,” Early said.
“So, while it is with a sense of pride this commemoration is being held to honour the memory of the crew who rescued the survivors of the Stolwijk, we in another way will also be remembering all those who volunteer to keep us all safe at sea.
“It will also be great to not only have the descendants of the lifeboat crew attending the event but also a descendant of one of the Stolwijk survivors travelling to be with us at the unveiling. No doubt it will be a poignant moment but in some ways a happy one too and we look forward to as many people attending as possible.”
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